The Prince and the Goblin by Bryan Huff & Bryan Huff

Author:Bryan Huff & Bryan Huff [Madge, Rory & Huff, Bryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: middle grade, fantasy, creatures, magic, medieval, children’s, adventure, action, quest
ISBN: 9781951710453
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Published: 2020-09-29T07:00:00+00:00

A short time later, Hob and Edric lay in their beds, talking. Marta had shown them to the cozy chamber they would share for the night. It had two small beds with a nightstand between them, a fur rug on the floor, and an empty wardrobe in one corner with a broomstick propped up beside it. Moonlight streamed in through the dusty window at Hob’s bedside.

“… Talk about living proof three heads aren’t necessarily better than one!” Hob concluded.

“Not when they’re attached to the same dumb troll!” Edric agreed.

They laughed and laughed, until the laugher died down and was replaced by contented silence.

“Uh … Edric?” Hob began again.

“Call me Ed.”

“Ed,” Hob repeated, proudly.

He’d been thinking about The Ballad of Waeward the Wanderer. A tiny voice called up to him from deep inside his twisted-up stomach, begging him to say something about it. This was as good a chance as he was likely to get, and he really wanted to. Unfortunately, the words just wouldn’t come out.

“Sorry about your father,” he finished instead. It occurred to him he hadn’t had the chance to tell Edric that yet. “Is he your only family? Captain Fist made it sound like you two are the last of the royal line.”

More silence followed.

“Yeah, we’re it,” said Edric. “I have no brothers or sisters. And my mother died when I was born. It’s always been just me and my father.”

Hob nodded. No wonder Edric wanted to find the King so badly. “If it helps,” Hob said, “in stories, the best heroes never have both parents.”

“It doesn’t really,” Edric muttered.

“Oh, sorry,” said Hob. “I don’t know my father. And my mother’s a giant monster who tried to have me beheaded. So I’m not exactly an expert.”

“That was your mother?” said Edric. “Man! What am I complaining about?” He shook his head, and stared up at the ceiling. “I didn’t have it that bad, really. Not until my father left.”

There was another long silence.

Edric broke it with a sigh. “I guess I just miss him, you know? I understand why he had to leave in secret. He couldn’t let anyone stop him. And he wouldn’t have wanted to risk anyone else’s life on his quest. He’s like that. He’s a real hero. But I wanted to go with him, not take his place at the palace.” He shook his head again. “I don’t know how he made it look so easy! Filling in for him was a nightmare. Everyone either tried to control me, or avoided me completely. Even my so-called friends. And they all wondered why I kept sneaking out to hang around with commoners! Hah!” He laughed darkly, and looked back over at Hob. “The only thing that kept me going was the thought of this quest, of finding my father …”

“We will,” said Hob. “Tomorrow, we’ll be on our way.”

For a second, Edric went silent, like he wasn’t so sure about that, like there was something more he wasn’t saying. Then he nodded, and rolled over to go to sleep.

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